Tuesday, October 22

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Drone division 224th battalion of 112th brigade, Roman and Dean (commander of batallion - drone division) prepare for a trip to position around Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast, on Oct.21, 2024. (Andre Luis Alves/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Sending North Korean troops to fight Russia’s war would mean ‘significant escalation,’ Rutte says. “North Korea sending troops to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine would mark a significant escalation,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on social media following a conversation with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Kremlin calls North Korean troops reports ‘contradictory’ but stops short of denial. “We see a lot of contradictory information,” spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the Russian media, the state-controlled news agency Interfax reported.

Russia’s Black Sea Fleet forced to redeploy over Ukrainian drone attacks, Russian proxy admits. “It (Black Sea Fleet) was forced to change, in fact, its registration because our large ships became large targets for the enemy’s unmanned boats,” Dmitry Rogozin, a Russian official heading the Russian occupation of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, said.

Ukraine’s 46th brigade releases video of repelled Russian attack near Kurakhove. The attack reportedly involved seven tanks and 11 infantry fighting vehicles, with Ukrainian forces destroying seven pieces of Russian equipment.

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Russia attacking toward town near Pokrovsk, National Guard says. According to the National Guard, Russian troops periodically conduct mechanized assaults near Selydove, involving from three to five armored vehicles.

Ukraine destroys Russian Buk air defense system, military says. Ukrainian forces destroyed a Russian Buk-M3 air defense system overnight on Oct. 21, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported.

Russia detains 18 North Korean soldiers who left positions in Kursk Oblast, source says. Russian authorities detained 18 North Korean soldiers who abandoned their positions in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, a military intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent on Oct. 21.

UN’s nuclear agency funded Russian research in occupied Crimea, RFE/RL reports. According to the agency’s internal documents, the IAEA signed at least two agreements with Russian research institutes to conduct research that included fieldwork in Crimea. The deals were signed between 2016 and 2019, and the first was reportedly extended in the summer of 2019.

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Read our exclusives

Ukraine war latest: US announces new defense aid package for Ukraine worth $400 million

The Pentagon said in its press release that the recent package included HIMARS air defense systems, M113 armored personnel carriers, Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems, and ammunition for high-mobility artillery.

Photo: Daniel Roland/AFP/Getty Images

As Russian tank losses in Ukraine pass 9,000, here’s what you need to know

Russia’s losses in Ukraine since the launch of the full-scale invasion recently passed another milestone, with the total number of “tanks” claimed destroyed by Kyiv passing the 9,000 mark as of Oct. 17.

Photo: Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Is NATO ready for war with Russia?

“NATO could not defeat Russia given its current capabilities without incurring significant cost in terms of casualties, damage, and temporary loss of territorial sovereignty,” Gordon B. Davis, a senior fellow at the CEPA think tank and NATO’s former deputy assistant secretary general, told the Kyiv Independent.

Photo: Armend Nimani/AFP via Getty Images

We asked 5 Ukrainian soldiers about North Korean troops fighting for Moscow

Russia’s war in Ukraine is on the verge of escalating dramatically, with multiple reports, intelligence assessments, and a video suggesting North Korean troops could soon be fighting alongside Kremlin forces.

Photo: Gavrill Grigorov/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian strikes against Pokrovsk district in Donetsk Oblast kill 3, injure 2. Russia attacked the towns of Kurakhove and Myrnohrad in the Pokrovsk district of Donetsk Oblast on Oct. 21, killing three and injuring two people, local authorities reported.

Russian attack against Zaporizhzhia kills 3, injures 16. Some 30 buildings were damaged after Russia struck the residential area of the city on the morning of Oct. 21.

Opinions and insights

Opinion: Anti-money laundering watchdog FATF needs to blacklist Russia

“The Financial Action Task Force meets on Oct. 22, and is expected to once again debate Russia’s blacklisting. That Russia, a clear state sponsor of terrorism, hasn’t been ousted from an intergovernmental body that sets global standards to combat terrorist financing, and related financial crimes, is incredible,” writes Timothy Ash, associate Fellow at Chatham House.

Photo: Natalia Kolesnikova / AFP via Getty Images

Opinion: Moldova’s EU integration referendum hangs in the balance

“Moscow’s nervousness was palpable, especially among pro-European citizens in Chisinau in the days leading up to the vote. The extremely close results have proved their concerns valid. A negative outcome would not necessarily halt the EU accession process, as the question only aims to enshrine EU membership as a constitutional goal,” writes Sebastian Schäffer, director of the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe.

Photo: Daniel Mihaliescu /AFP via Getty Images

International response

US to provide Ukraine with $800 million for drone production, Zelensky says. “Every meeting with our partners involves discussions about the defense-industrial complex,” Zelensky said in his evening address. “We need Ukraine to be able to defend its sovereignty and independence regardless of any political threats in the world.”

Seoul summons Russian envoy, calls for ‘immediate withdrawal of North Korean troops.’ South Korea on Oct. 21 summoned the Russian ambassador in Seoul, Georgy Zinoviev, to protest the dispatch of North Korean troops to assist Moscow’s war against Ukraine, the Yonhap news agency reported.

US announces $400 million defense aid package for Ukraine. Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said it would include ammunition, military equipment, and weapons.

In other news

Moldova’s Sandu advances to presidential run-off, winning after ‘unfair fight.’ “The people of Moldova have spoken: our EU future will now be anchored in the constitution,” Sandu said on X. “We fought fairly in an unfair fight—and we won. But the fight isn’t over. We will keep pushing for peace, prosperity, and the freedom to build our own future.”

‘Unprecedented interference’ by Russia, its proxies in Moldova referendum, EU says. Moldova’s referendum on joining the EU, which took place alongside elections in the country, occurred under “unprecedented interference” by Russia and its proxies, European Commission spokesperson Peter Stano said.

Alexei Navalny’s widow Yulia says she will run for president if she can return to Russia. “I will participate in the elections… as a candidate” when the time is right, Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny told the BBC in an interview published on Oct. 21.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Martin Fornusek, Kateryna Denisova,  Lili Bivings, Kateryna Hodunova, Olena Goncharova, and Sonya Bandouil.

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